Summary
Full Moon in Taurus December 4
Retrograde Jupiter Re-enters Gemini December 5
Mercury Transits Scorpio December 6 – 28
Mars Transits Sagittarius December 7 – January 15
Sun Transits Sagittarius December 15 – January 14
New Moon in Sagittarius December 19
Venus Transits Sagittarius December 19 – January 12
Mercury Transits Sagittarius December 28 – January 16
January 2026 Headlines

Summary

For an in-depth analysis of specific planetary placements, please continue with the full planetary forecast.

Full Moon in Taurus December 4

The final calendar month of 2025 comes roaring in like a bull with an exalted full Moon in Taurus on December 4th. The Moon is exalted in Krittika nakshatra on December 3rd and then reaches the full point at 19 degrees Taurus. From Rohini nakshatra, Moon will oppose the Sun at 19 degrees Scorpio, sitting in Jyestha nakshatra. Mars and Venus are also in Scorpio, flanking the Sun, bringing up themes of power, diplomacy and deep negotiation.

With the other shifts coming during the first week of December, on the heels of both Saturn and Mercury resuming direct motion at the end of November, we could feel as if we are switching the channel back to our regularly scheduled programming, but with the added layer of already knowing what the end of the story could be.

In some time zones, the full Moon will rise as the Sun sets on Thursday, kicking off a series of shifts, with Jupiter backing into Gemini on December 5th, Mercury moving into Scorpio December 6th, and Mars moving to Sagittarius on December 7th.

This full Moon should give some clarity about where to re-apply force or attention in order to move things forward after what could feel like a period of loss or struggle. With Saturn now in direct motion, it could be easier to let go where clinging has become a habit. Retrograde Saturn could have supported arguments about why to repair rather than release. Direct Saturn will help us separate appropriately from what is actually limiting our progress.

With the strong group including Mars, Sun, and Venus in Scorpio at this time, we have information that comes from a deep well, asking us to carefully strategize next moves for maximum efficiency, force, and connection.

Full Moon in Taurus/Rohini informs us that above all, feeling, sensitivity, and all relations should be seen as beauty, resource, and nourishment.

Retrograde Jupiter Re-enters Gemini December 5

On Friday, December 5th, both Jupiter and the Moon enter Gemini from opposite sides. This will close the door on our Jupiter in Cancer preview that began on October 18th, turned a corner when Jupiter took retrograde motion on November 11th and brings us back to the Jupiter in Gemini transit on December 5th.

Take a moment to think about those dates and that sequence. Did a door open? Were new possibilities perceived? Was there a positive spark? With the door closing on those things, for now, with Jupiter’s return to Gemini, use that preview to inspire your actions for Jupiter’s remaining time in Gemini, through June 1, 2026.

Jupiter in Gemini is a very educational journey, so the upcoming six months could be focused on teaching or learning trajectories, creating space in the daily schedule for learning new subjects or becoming more masterful in existing studies. This remaining time will be divided in two; Jupiter will remain in retrograde motion until March 10th, when he stops and stands at 21 degrees Gemini. This part could feel more exploratory, like regaining traction with an abandoned trajectory, or trying new things in order to find the details of how the path ahead will look.

The second part will be direct Jupiter re-tracing his steps traversed in retrograde motion from December 7th to March 10th. Jupiter will move through the last 10 degrees of Gemini once again in forward motion. (The first time this forward motion traverse occurred was from August 12 – October 18, 2025.) This feels like a do-over opportunity but with way more experience under your belt, the information you gathered the first time having been cured into knowledge.

Retrograde motion of any planet gives this effect of “three times,” as the planet travels across one section of a sign and nakshatra, pauses and travels back, and then pauses, again going forward over the same spot. This feels very concentrated and scratchy, with a deep amount of attention going into one spot in the zodiac, which filters down to an individual’s experience of that phenomena happening in the context of a personal horoscope.

With Jupiter doing this retrograde, we are having the concepts of growth, wisdom, fairness, truth, and judgement going through a twist, wringing out what may be standing in the way of us staying on course. That said, as you manage the part of your life that Gemini represents in your personal horoscope through the next few months, it is a good time to let go of what isn’t fitting or serving toward the goal of growth and abundance. Not every seed will sprout and it is a good time to analyze how to distribute nourishment to what is promising.

Jupiter’s return to Gemini also brings back the mutual aspect of Rahu in Aquarius, which causes a noticable churning in all of the air signs through May 2026. With Jupiter retrograde, it could feel very easy to let go of old forms in favor of innovative ideas that require a re-assessment of risk vs reward.

This could look like having to set aside time for brainstorming and re-drawing plans in order to re-align with both internal and external requirements. So, if you’re not sure how 2026 is going to look yet, you are not alone. We may all have the dual obligation to frame out plans and schedules while we surrender to the reality that our re-assements are works-in-progress.

Mercury Transits Scorpio December 6 – 28

The first week of December sees Mercury having recently resumed direct motion on November 29th, re-tracing his steps over the last degrees of Libra. This could feel like cleaning up misunderstandings, brushing off the dust, and resuming a push toward connection, new directions, and getting back to business.

Mercury, our manager, cruise-director, and weather-vane, wades into Scorpio with purpose, moving quickly through Mars and Ketu’s watery and enigmatic environment from December 6th through the 28th, suggesting that we keep our analytical and observational hats on when things go deep, maintain perspective that our every day experiences of life are for our own learning.

Retrograde Jupiter will be re-occupying Mercury’s air sign of Gemini just as Mercury moves out of the air sign, Libra, and into the more stable, even stagnant, sign of Scorpio. Mars moving out of Scorpio the very next day leaves Mercury and Venus to scope, analyze and cleanse through the remaining weeks of December.

The brainstorm suggestion could become a creativitystorm, which is a further nudge to carve out retreat space and time through the holiday season, where the social pressure to show up and connect should be exercised with the balance of journaling, sketching, and creative planning even though we’re not sure about... much.

Mars Transits Sagittarius December 7 – January 15

Mercury joins the group in Scorpio on December 6th, which has been lead by Mars himself, co-ruler of Scorpio, motoring steadily through his water sign like a tugboat creating a wake for the Sun, who has been following steadily behind Mars. Mars is the strategic vision we use to protect and direct our force and power. As Mercury moves into Scorpio, Mars passes the game plan to Mercury and Venus to finish up the project while he scouts ahead.

Looking ahead, Mars perceives the battlefield of Sagittarius on December 7th, followed a week later by the Sun. This is a good time to mention that as November becomes December, the steady moving Sun gains on Mars, bringing in the combustion of Mars that becomes exact on January 4th, 2026. The combustion of Venus is exact on the same day! Look for something to pop around January 4th, when the Sun, Venus, and Mars conjoin in Sagittarius, joined by Mercury and opposed by retrograde Jupiter, aspected by Saturn from Pisces.

In December and January, with the aspect focus of Saturn and Jupiter bringing Sagittarius into the spotlight, it may indeed shape up to become a field of engagement. Retrograde Jupiter aspecting his own sign brings unsettled energy. The troop of planets that will follow Mars brings energy and conflicting agendas that strive to coalesce into a unified force.

Mars in Sagittarius also sets up a mutual aspect with Saturn in Pisces which should not be overlooked. This is seismic energy that can move mountains. Having force and structure working in the same direction can be very productive at this time, while on the other hand, divergent viewpoints and agendas at crosscurrents could result in destruction. This dynamic turns on immediately with Mars entering Sagittarius on December 7th. Saturn is newly direct in the early degrees of Pisces, making this mutual aspect the most strong during the second week of December.

Outside the scope of December 2025, it is interesting to note that the grouping of planets including Mars, Venus, and Mercury will stay in a tight gaggle around the Sun, crowding together in the combustion zone. When we talk about combustion, we are acknowledging the powerful orb of the Sun, the zone so bright that when other planets traverse it, we lose sight of them, as their own individual influence subsumes into the impact of the Sun.

Vedic astrology can give the impression that combustion isn’t great for a planet, with the implication that the planet’s voice or expression is lost. Stepping back from the assumption that combustion is detrimental to any given planet’s expression, we could also imagine that the planet in the orb of the Sun is joining forces and finding amplification of a unified message.

On a personal level, we could use this upcoming mass combustion of Mars, Venus, and Mercury as a process of running our ideas, actions, and desires through the filter of soul, truth, and divinity. Make every decision and action an opportunity to really understand what drives you at a heart and soul level.

The new Moon of January 18th, 2025 sees a very tight grouping of Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars in Capricorn, Uttarashada nakshatra. Just something to think about as we talk about the entourage moving with the Sun into Sagittarius and further down the road, into Capricorn.

Sun Transits Sagittarius December 15 – January 14

Gaining steadily on Mars, the Sun leads his press pool into Sagittarius starting in mid-December. The Sun shifts to Sagittarius on December 15th, Venus follows on December 19th and Mercury brings up the rear on December 28th.

This is a good time to bring our attention back to the structure of outer planet aspects that has shifted due to Jupiter’s return to Gemini. With Jupiter aspecting all of the air signs, as well as the opposing sign of Sagittarius, Jupiter’s own fire sign receiving his own aspect is a positive and powerful draw to Sagittarius through May 2026.

Additionally, Saturn occupies Pisces, aspecting the opposing sign of Virgo, as well as his special aspects to Taurus and Sagittarius. When both Jupiter and Saturn give attention or aspect to a common sign, that sign becomes energized with that compound influence of structure and growth.

The winter solstice comes on Sunday, December 21st, when the Sun is at 7 degrees Sagittarius, the degree of the zodiac that also points toward our Galactic Center. After solstice, the Sun begins its uttarayana, the northern direction, giving us incrementally longer days as the winter and spring seasons develop.

The Sun in forward looking and adventurous Sagittarius, receiving the aspects from retrograde Jupiter and direct Saturn, and surrounded by the entourage of inner planets, carries us out of 2025 and into 2026. This is a good time to reconsider, reorganize, reallocate, and redirect. While the big picture may not be well defined, you know enough to lay the groundwork. Focus on what works, what is efficient, what is comfortable, and what is manageable.

New Moon in Sagittarius December 19

On Friday, December 19th, the Moon slides into the arms of the Sun at 5 degrees Sagittarius, strongly under the eye of Saturn at 2 degrees Pisces. Both Venus and Mars flank the Sun and Moon, combustion already in play, with Venus set to cross the gap between Scorpio and Sagittarius, just after that still, quiet new Moon moment. All of this combined points toward sitting still, checking in with your intuitive roots, and creating a concave shape that allows your cup to start filling.

With both retrograde Jupiter and direct Saturn influencing this tight grouping of planets around the Sun and Moon, themes of death, breaking, and renewal come to mind. As Venus enters the scene, a rejuvenating breath is taken, inviting you to sit with what could feel like scattered pieces as you begin to see harmony and patterns in the detritus of recent upsets.

This new Moon is on a Friday, with Venus also moving into the group, just before the larger solar cycle of the winter solstice rings a deeper tone in the clear chord of unified renewal. The stark truth that shines through reminds us that the green of spring is just around the corner, but the cost of renewal this year is tied into the need for clean breaks and appropriate separation.

Venus Transits Sagittarius December 19 – January 12

Just a few heartbeats after the new Moon begins its waxing cycle, Venus moves through the deep and tricky spiritual void that lies between the signs of Scorpio and Sagittarius. This juncture in the zodiac speaks to next level growth that requires taking a deeper sense of responsibility from a stronger stance of faith. Venus crosses this gap on December 19th with Mercury following suit on December 28th.

Venus rules our individual sense of connection with others and our collective flow of people joining as families, tribes, communities, and cultures. Venus joining the other planets in Sagittarius, an already unified field, reinforces a desire to connect and collect from a heart and soul level.

The planets in the press with Venus as we move into January include Mercury, an ally to Venus, a combination that compounds the faculties of connection and communication, encouraging relationships, business, transactions, and market movements. Venus and Mars in the chat have a different energy, bringing passion and creative power. Venus and Sun together remind us that in any negotiation, we have to balance collective and individual needs.

Mercury Transits Sagittarius December 28 – January 16

Mercury is the last to leap the gandanta gap on December 28th, taking us into 2026 with a slate of planets joining the usual suspect, the Sun in Sagittarius. With retrograde Jupiter and direct Saturn both beaming into the rolling hills of Sagittarius, we have a very curious concentration in the fiery sign of Jupiter.

In our lifetimes, this will always be the case, that the Sun will be in Sagittarius during the change of the western calendar year. Some years it is the Sun alone, others, the entourage joins the Sun, or the outer planets join the Sun. This year, the active, enthusiastic planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars join the Sun, creating a sense of tentative momentum and positive vision. The last time this exact grouping occupied Sagittarius at the new year was in 1994!

With a retrograde Jupiter providing a somewhat deflated sense of hope and practical Saturn warning against hitching your star to the wrong wagon, we have the active inner planets, powerful Mars, and the bright Sun tasked with getting up and moving forward, as we must, with the resources and knowledge that we have right now. This is a reminder that despite limitations beyond your control, you are still a bright, creative force in the universe.

January 2026 Headlines

Full Moon 19 deg Gemini/Ardra January 3
Venus Transits Capricorn January 12 – February 5
Sun Transits Capricorn January 13 – February 12
Mars Transits Capricorn January 15 – February 22
Mercury Transits Capricorn January 16 – February 3
New Moon 5 deg Capricorn/Uttarashada January 18